Broom core winding machine



g 26, 969 L. L. LECHENE 3,463,550

BROOM CORE WINDING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1967 2'Sheets-Sheet 1 mvemofiLEO L. LECHENE ATTORNEYS Au zs, 1969 LVL. LECH ENE BROOM CORE WINDINGMACHINE Filed March 15, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.5 2/). 4 3,434

FlG-9 FIG-8 INVENTOR LEO L. LECHENE V mf $43 M KM ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent 3,463,550 BROOM CORE WINDING MACHINE Leo L. Lechene, R.Rte. 1, Box 364, Patton, Pa.

Filed Mar. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 623,264 Int. Cl. A46d 3/05 U.S. Cl. 300-14Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of invention Machines havebeen provided in the past for winding bristles onto power drivencylindrical brooms such as are used for pavement sweeping. The bristlesfor such brooms are preformed into a generally hairpin shape, and theseare secured to the cylindrical broom core by a retaining cable which iswound over the apexes of the bristles and seated in a helical groove inthe surface of the broom core.

These bristles may be fabricated of any suitable material, polypropylenebeing preferred. The method of fabricating the bristles is described inmy prior Patents Nos. 2,980,467 and 3,207,556.

A problem with previous machines used for winding broom cores has beenthe provision of suitable means for accepting cores of a variety oflengths and diameters. A further problem has been that of preventingbristles which have been secured to the core on a previous revolution ofthe core from blocking the path of the winding cable and freshly appliedbristles as they are being fed into the adjacent groove of the helicalsurface. Both of these problems have been successfully overcome in theuniquewinding machine of the present invention.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of awinding machine of this invention, showing a broom core partially woundwith bristles.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of the bristle retractingmeans, viewed in the direction of arrow 2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the driving connection between the broomcore and the power drive means, viewed in the direction of arrow 3 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 4-4 of FIG.3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the drive train for driving the windingdrum and broom core.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 6--6 of FIG.3.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 77 of FIG.1.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale showingthe technique for applying bristles to the core.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 1.

Detailed description Referring now to FIG. 1 in particular, the windingmachine generally comprises a base 10, a drive housing 12, a windingdrum 14 rotatably secured at one end to housing 12 and at the other endto an upright portion of base 10, and retractor guide tracks 16.

An adjustable core-supporting trunnion 18 is slidably mounted on base10, so that it may be positioned to accept a broom core of any length.For this purpose a screw shaft and handle 19 engages a nut secured tothe bottom portion of trunnion 18 and riding in a slot 20 of machinebase 10.

As can be seen most clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3, broom core 21 is providedwith a helically grooved surface 22 which is secured to a centralsupporting shaft 24. The broom bristles are secured to core 20 by abristle-retaining cable 26 which will be described more fullyhereinafter.

Rotation of broom core 21 is derived from drive shaft 28 having aremovable split section 30, illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The lowersection of shaft 28 terminates in a semicircular flange 32, which nestswith a second semicircular flange portion 34 forming the left end of theremovable section 30 of drive shaft 28. These two hollow elements arebolted together at bosses 36 and 38.

It can be seen that with the removable section 30 of drive shaft 28removed, central shaft 24 can be readily laid in place in the core ofdrive shaft 28 and thereafter clamped thereto by the reassembly ofremovable section 30 to drive shaft 28. Driving connection between shaft28 and broom core 21 is achieved by a pair of bolts 40 which may beradially adjusted in slots 42 in flanges 32, 34. These two driving bolts40 engage a pair of holes in broom core sprocket 44 which is fixed forrotation with central shaft 24 of the broom core. Sprocket 44 alsoserves to provide the driving connection with a chain drive which causesthe broom to rotate when installed on a street cleaning vehicle.

Referring now to FIG. 5, drive shaft .28 is driven by a chain driveconnection through sprocket 46 to drive motor 48. The output shaft 50 ofmotor 48 has a positive clutch 52 splined for axial movement thereon.Clutch 52 when moved toward the right of the figure will engage windingdrum sprocket 54 which is rotatably mounted on shaft 50 and connected bya driving chain 55 to sprocket 56 on winding drum 14. When moved to theleft, clutch 52 will engage core sprocket 58 similarly rotatably mountedon shaft 50 and connected by a driving chain 59' to sprocket 46 on driveshaft 28. Control of clutch 52 is achieved by clutch lever 60 which canbe moved from a neutral position to eifect engagement with either thewinding drum or the broom core. Reversible motor 48 is controlled by athree way switch 62.

A cable tensioning device 64 is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6. Thisdevice comprises a brake drum 66 fixed for rotation with drive shaft 28and brake band 68 anchored to housing 12 to 70 and being adjustablypositioned at threaded end 72. Rotation of handle 74 adjusts thegripping or retarding action of brake band 68 on drum 66 and shaft 28.

Retractor guide housing 76 (FIGS. 1 and 7) is mounted for reciprocatingmovement along a pair of channel-shaped guide tracks 16. Screw shaft 78is rotatably and vertically mounted through the center of housing 76,which shaft is threadably engaged with internally threaded shaft 80.Secured to the lower end of shaft 80 is follower yoke 82 having a pairof follower wheels 84 which ride in grooved surface 22 of broom core 21.Vertical adjustment of yoke 82 is achieved by handle 86 at the upper endof screw shaft 78. Four pairs of guide wheels 88 are rotatably mountedon the inside face of retractor guide housing 76, and these wheels rideon the channel shaped track 16. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, thebristle retractor arm 90 is also fixed to the lower end of yoke 82.Retractor arm 90 serves to retain bristles 92 out of the way during thewinding operation, as will be described below.

Operation In operation, the broom core 21 is first secured to thewinding machine by positioning adjustable trunnion 18 and removingsection 30 of drive shaft 28. Broom core shaft 24 may then be droppedinto place and secured by bolting bosses 36 and 38 together again.Driving bolts 40 are then positioned in slots 42 according to the radiallocation of the bolt receiving holes of broom core sprocket 44. Sincevarious core sizes have different sizes of sprockets, slots 42 allow themachine to accommodate any size core.

If the broom is a previously used one, retaining cable 26 would beslowly unwound onto winding drum 14, and the worm bristles removed fromthe cable. If the broom core is a new one, the winding cable would bepreviously wrapped around winding drum 14 and secured at one end to core'21 for winding purposes.

Before commencing the winding operation, the retractor guide assembly 76must be positioned at the right hand end of the core (as viewed in FIG.1), so that follower wheels 84 are positioned directly above the firstgroove 22 of the core. Then the follower yoke 82 is lowered by handle 86until wheels 84 rest in the end groove of the core. Next, motor controlswitch 62 and clutch lever 60 are set in the winding position so thatthe motor becomes connected for driving engagement to drive shaft 28 andbroom core shaft 24. Switch 62 is preferably a foot pedal operatedswitch, so that the hands of the operator may both be free for loadingbristles onto cable 26.

Tensioning device 64 is then adjusted by means of handle 74 to take upany backlash in the driving connections and to assure sufiicienttensioning of winding cable 26. The actual winding operation is achievedthrough a series of starting and stopping steps of the broom core. Theindividual bristles are permanently preformed into a V or hairpin shapeand bonded to each other in strips a foot or more in length to permiteasy handling and winding. A set of bristles is laid onto winding cable26 as shown in FIG. 8. The core is then rotated through a distancesufiicient to leave only one or two inches of the set of fibersextending tangentially from the lower edge of the drum. The drum is thenstopped and a second set of fibers is laid into place adjacent to orslightly overlapping the still exposed portion of the first set ofbristles. The core is then rotated far enough to wind most of thissecond set of bristles onto the drum, and this process is repeated untilthe entire surface is coated with bristles.

During this winding operation, follower wheels 84 and retractor guideassembly 76 slowly move toward the left of FIG. 1, following the helicalgrooves 22. It will be seen that as a newly applied set of bristlespasses under the core and around the far side as viewed in FIG. 1, itwill gradually come into contact with bristle retractor arm 90 and becammed toward the right (toward the left as viewed in FIG. 2). Thebristles, which would otherwise tend to spread or widen their V shape,are thus retained in a position which avoids any interference with thepath of cable 26 and newly applied bristles as they are fed into thecore. This greatly speeds up the winding operation and produces a moreuniformly covered core.

Tensioning device 64, 74, FIGS. 1 and 6, applies adjustable tension tothe broom core 21. A similar tensioner is provided for cable drum 14,controlled by handle 74', FIG. 1. The construction of the cable drumtensioner is exactly the same as shown in FIG. 6 except for the type ofhandle.

The trunnion 18 once adjusted on base 10, is secured in position byfriction clamp 96, FIG. 9, which is slidably mounted on said base at 94and includes a securing screw with hand knob 98.

The trunnion 18 at the side opposite feed screw 19 is verticallyadjustable relative to base 10 by hand screw 100, which is threadedthrough said trunnion and is operatively engageable with the top surfaceof said base. This provides for adjustment of the journal for shaft 24.

In the operation of the present machine for winding bristles, instead ofan interrupted operation, the bristle mats may be assembled successivelyin a continuous manner with a continuous winding of the core till filledwith bristle mats, after which the cable end from the cable drum isclamped in tension onto the said broom core.

This invention may be further developed within the scope of thefollowing claims. Accordingly, the above specification is to beinterpreted as illustrative of only a single operative embodiment ofthis invention, rather than in a strictly limited sense.

I now claim:

1. A machine for winding bristles onto the spirally grooved cylindricalcore of a commercial broom comprising:

a frame for rotatably supporting the broom core on its axis;

a winding drum rotatably mounted on said frame in parallel relationshipto the broom core and laterally spaced therefrom;

reversible power drive means mounted on said frame and selectivelyoperatively engageable with said Winding drum or the broom core toalternatively cause said winding drum to unwind a bristle-retainingcable from the core onto said drum or to cause the core to rewind thecable from said drum onto the core;

bristle retractor means slidably mounted on said frame along an axisparallel to the core axis and laterally spaced therefrom, said retractormeans including core groove following rollers engageable with the spiralgrooves of the broom core to cause the bristle retractor means to travellinearly along the broom core in the direction of rewind when said powerdrive means is causing the broom core to rewind the bristle retainingcable from said winding drum, said bristle retractor means furtherincluding a retractor arm for camming and retaining previously woundbristles out of the path of said cable and bristles being wound onto thebroom core;

said bristle retractor means further comprising a guide housing whichrolls along a track forming part of said frame and laterally spaced inparallel relationship to the core axis, said core groove followingrollers being rotatably mounted on a yoke which is adjustably mounted tosaid guide housing through a screw feed shaft which permits said yoke tobe advanced or withdrawn radially of said core.

2. The broom core winding machine of claim 1 wherein the drive shaft forthe broom core has a flange on the core-engaging end, said shaft endportion and flange being hollow and diametrically split, thus producinga section which is removably mounted on said shaft and which whenremoved permits the broom core shaft to be laid into the hollow portionof said drive shaft and thereafter secured in place by said removablesection, said drive shaft flange having radially adjustably mounteddriving pins which extend axially of said drive shaft for drivingengagement with holes provided in a broom core driving sprocket mountedon the broom core shaft.

3. In the broom core winding machine of claim 1,

wherein said frame further comprises an upright trunnion upon said baseadapted to journal one end of an axial shaft projecting through saidcore;

and manually operable screw means on said base engageable with saidtrunnion for moving the same to- 5 wards and away from said power drivemeans.

4. In the machine for winding bristles of claim 3, friction meansadjacent one side of said trunnion for securing the trunnion in adjustedposition on the base;

and adjustable screw means threaded through said trunnion adjacent itsopposite side and operably engageable with said base for selectiveadjustment of the trunnion relatively thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1943 Plurneau et a1 300-145/1960 Koback 300-14 BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner

